SH2Res Sub Story: Miriam Kensington is a Traitor?
by Em-E-Chan
Summary: Sub story to Sh2 Resurrected. Miriam fled Silent Hill when she was young after witnessing a horrible ritual preformed by the town cult. Now she's returned to try to help Mary and James. Will she save them in time? What was it that really made her leave?
1. Chapter 1

**Silent Hill Resurrected: Sub Story**

**Miriam Kensington is a Traitor?**

**Chapter 1**

Miriam was having a hard time watching the road. Half asleep from staring at the road for hours and half dieing inside with worry for her best friend and his wife, Miriam didn't know how she was going to make it all the way to Silent Hill. Well, Okay those things were only a small portion of the problems Miriam was concerned about. The biggest problem was the fact that Silent Hill was a ghost town. No one has even lived there for several years now.

I mean god the fucking town wasn't even on the map anymore! Some sort of huge disaster a couple years back wiped the town off the map. Of course that was what the town is famous for unexplained disasters. Sure you could say it was a resort town and that's what it was famous for. But in reality most of the people who visited that town were idiotic amateur ghost hunters and the occasional crappy junk magazine reporter reporting on the so called "monster and spirits" that hunt the town. All these disasters happen all the time like the town is cursed or filled with psychopaths. Like that "mysteriously" started fire in the business portion of Silent hill, Or the disappearing luxury boat in the 1800's.

All though it's well believed by anyone local, including Miriam herself growing up in the damned town, that the local cult was the most likely source of the problems in that town. "Thank god" Thought Miriam "I moved out of there before Junior High." Everyone in that town knew at least a little bit about the cult. It was an old cult having it's roots in native American traditions that were around long before the town was inhabited and it had it's claws in the backs of the local authorities. Probably why it was so easy for them to get away with everything they did in the town. Miriam had even seen the cult members gather for some kind of meeting with these huge creepy masks, like the faces of monsters, and it looked like they were going to sacrifice someone maybe. A young girl all horribly burned.

After that Miriam was too terrified to even go to school. After about a month of psychiatrists and therapist her parents were finally convinced that the best form of action was to move out of the town to another one a couple of hours away. Thank god they did to. Miriam didn't know how she could have gone on living in that town with the fear she felt because of those cult loving nut balls.

Now she had to go back, back to that horrible town! Even though logic told her the town was empty and the cult was gone Miriam couldn't shake the feeling that that cult was still there wait. Waiting for her to come back. As illogical as it was, after all, the cult like the town had dissipated into the neighboring towns and ceased to be. But still, something inside Miriam, deep inside, told her that they were still there. She didn't know why or how but they were there, waiting and it made her nervous. As insane as it sounded Miriam felt like it was the cult that called to James in hopes of finding her. Finding and killing her for what she had done to them.

Miriam glances to the right and notice the old rest stop that was almost famous among the locals for being the half waypoint between Silent Hill and the "outside". Parked in the parking lot was a white van that seemed to belong to one of the local bakeries that had been out of business for years and a blue car. "A blue car. Looks just like James' car." No sooner had the words come out of her mouth did Miriam realize it was James' car.

Miriam snapped her car around to the right and pulled into the tires popping loudly against the various gravely that had accumulated in the old parking lot. Miriam parked her junky old black car next to the old van and looked around the parking lot in hopes of possible catching James before he went into town. In the very corner of the parking lot standing next to an old gray brick wall was James. She watched him as he whipped around to stare at her car. He had this look on his face of some sort of hazy confusion, like maybe he had been drinking again. He had been drinking a lot since Mary had been admitted to the hospital. Miriam personally had to cover for him at the store a lot lately. He would come in bombed out of his tree and Miriam being his best friend would walk him home again and then take over his shift. Thank god the guy walked to work or else who knows if he would 'a' killed someone while driving to work one day.

Miriam took the keys out of the ignition and then slides over to the passenger's side and then stopped to sigh for a second. Why does she do this crap for James anyway? He wasn't her husband she thought as put her hand on the silver door handle. To tell truth she knew why she did it she just couldn't admit it to herself. The door handle glittered a bit in the daylight as she yanked it open and then gave the door a good push since, Junker that the car was, the passenger side would always stick if you didn't push it hard enough from the inside.

"James" Miriam shouted as she got out of the car. Miriam placed both her feet on the ground as she stepped out and slid around a little on the gravely. Her cheap, off-brand white sneakers offered her no traction on the gravely and broken paved rest stop parking lot.

"James. My god! What the hell are you doing here?" Miriam couldn't figure that out for the life of her. He drove all the way out to a town Miriam was pretty sure he knew was closed, dieing wife in tow? That was the most insane thing Miriam had ever heard of someone doing. Considering the crazy shit you hear reported in the news these days and the fact that Miriam had grown up in Silent Hill this was a pretty insane thing to do.

James was wearing his favorite green coat. Some kind of green army jacket he had bought at Salvation Army for like 3 buck or something. Miriam always did think he look cute in that jacket even if his wife never liked it much. She also noticed he was wearing that hideous gray striped polo shirt with a pair of jeans. It was one of his favorite looks even if Mary and her both thought that shirt looked stupid.

"James, why did you come all the way out here for god's sake? Silent Hill has been closed for years! Are you okay? Look I know your upset about your wife coming home to… die but why did you disappear like that? We were all worried. And what about Mary? Where is she?" As ill as Mary was Miriam knew that James shouldn't have dragged her out her. And to leave her alone of all things! For all Miriam knew at this vary moment she could be dead in some hotel somewhere and she couldn't imagine that's what how Mary wanted to die.

"Miriam who are you talking to?" The look on James' face, the shear confusion it held was startling to Miriam. Is it possible to drink so much you forget who you are?

"What are you talking about? Have you been drinking again?"

Miriam was a bit surprised as James' face twisted in anger at what she had said.

"I never drink and you know that Miriam! How dare you."

Now if there was one thing she knew it was that that was a bunch of bull. "What are you talking about James you..."

"I'm not James. It's Mary. Don't you know the difference? I know I'm wearing his coat but my god Miriam!"

This through Miriam for a loop, she couldn't tell if James was kidding around or if he was serious about this. His voice and face seemed serious enough but she couldn't imagine how James could actually believe he was Mary. That would take a level of insanity she didn't think James was capable of, but then again you never know what someone is capable of when pushed to the edge.

"Jesus, James, how much have you been drinking. Where are you staying James? I'll drive you, you can sleep it off okay."

"I am not James." He was adamant; the look of frustration on his face and in his voice was insane to say the least. Miriam was pretty sure it was just because he had one to many. After all he was her friend, she knew him for years and not once did he seem the least bit crazy. In her mind this was just one more nutso thing James has done lately that could be chalked up to drinking. After all, it could be possible to drink until you're convinced you're someone else. Right? Frankly this whole drinking thing was wearing a bit thin on Miriam. "Look, Just tell me what hotel you're staying at and you can go sleep it off okay."

"Hotel? What hotel!? Honestly Miriam. I don't even know where I am."

Miriam backed up a bit. She could feel her bell bottom jeans sweeping forward as she moved backwards. "Do you even have a hotel James? Did you drive all the way to Silent Hill without booking a room in a hotel? Where is Mary anyway? You can sleep it off in my hotel room. We'll look for Mary later. I'm sure she'll be okay for a bit. Come on James I'll help you over to the car." At this point James driving up here with no place to stay seemed extremely possible. The question was where did he leave his wife if he had no hotel. She could tell just by looking into his car that she wasn't in the back seat.

"Silent Hill! How did I get here? I thought that was Toluca Lake!"

"Jeez James. Look I'll drive you. Sleep it off. We'll look for Mary when you're ready…Pick up your car tomorrow okay?" James had this look of hesitancy on his face that made Miriam very nervous. What was James thinking, what was he going to do? Miriam had no idea with James behaving the way he was and it scared her a bit.

"I forgot something in Silent Hill Miriam. I have to go get it."

As nervous as Miriam currently was around James, fat chance she was going to just let him leave in the state he was in. "James, you can get it later I'm sure it's…"

"No, I… I need it. I'm just going to go get it. You can wait for me here if you want. I shouldn't be to long."

"Do you want me to come help you find whatever it is." What was it that he left in town that was so important? It was a little odd but she was scared to just let him go off on his own to Silent Hill Like that. After all there must be something seriously wrong with the town to have gotten it shut down like that years ago. So how could she just let her best friend go into a decrypted dangerous town alone as drunk as he was? She had to at least try to get him to let her come with him.

What was it he was looking for anyway? Mary? Did he actually take her into that town and leave her somewhere? That would be a bizarre thing to do.

"No, ummm, that's okay Miriam I can find it on my own. No need to follow I'll be fine. Really."

Miriam watched as James walked toward the little footpath near her car. It was a dusty little thing and one side was a cliff. She was worried James would hurt himself but on the other hand she didn't want to push James. Miriam just watched James as he started down the path. He turned around and looked at her for a minute. Miriam stared back at him. There was something weird about the way his was behaving. Not like the way he normally does when he's drunk. It was like his personality had changed. A complete 360, it was almost like he had… "No, that's not possible" Miriam thought as she watched James turned around and walk down the path. Miriam walked over to the driver's side of her car and opened the door. She hesitated a second holding onto the car door and looked over at the path James just walked down.

Miriam decided then not to allow James to go down there alone into that hideous town. She was going to give him a head start and then follow him from behind. As she stood there letting James go ahead of her she could feel the fear starting to rush through out her body. It was an itchy antsy feeling which had always bothered her. One she was intimately familiar with since the time when she had seen those cult members.

Once she had decided she had given James enough time she walked over to the footpath herself. She knew where this led too, past the old cemetery into the Silent Hill Farm. She had been up to this rest stop before, only once, with her friends when she was ten years old. She knew she shouldn't have gone that far but she did. When her friend's and her parents found out they were furious they had gone so far alone. She was confined to her room for the rest of the week. Now she had to make the same trip back. Back into a town she hated and feared, back into Silent Hill.


	2. Chapter 2

**Silent Hill Resurrected: Sub story**

**Miriam Kensington is a Traitor?**

**Chapter 2**

Miriam stared down the footpath to scared to take the first step. Her heart raced just thinking about Silent Hill, about the cult. She felt this sort of grasping feeling in her throat, like someone was trying to strangle her. Maybe she was having a heart attack. The more she thought about it the harder it was to breath.

Silent Hill… Silent Hill, how could she survive returning there after what she saw, after the threat on her life? What if _they_ were still there, the cult. What if they were just waiting for her to come back? Her breathing became so labored with these thoughts each gasp for air was painful. Was she going to die right there just thinking about going back?

"Calm down Miriam. No one even lives there anymore." Miriam said to herself in a sad attempt to calm her self. "No one _lives_ there. No one lives there. No one lives there." She repeated this in her head like it was a mantra for living the rest of her life. She had to follow James into Silent Hill. She _had to_! James could die out there in that town in the state he was in. Hell he could even die walking down the path to Silent Hill. Worse part was no one would know! It's not like any one came by here anymore. It's not even listed on maps! No Miriam had to calm down and find James. Maybe even find Mary.  
Miriam held her breath for a moment and then let out a deep sigh. She had to go forward. She took a step, just one, off of the pavement and onto the dusty path. The whole pathway ahead seemed shrouded in a thick milky white fog. Miriam walked forward despite barely being able to see more than a foot ahead of her. Her breath was still labored in fear as she walked kicking up dust, twisting slowly down the seemingly never-ending footpath.

The further down the path Miriam walked the more the footpath was covered with leaves from the trees that hung overhead. Several times the sound of the leaves mad such a loud crunch they started Miriam into thinking she was being followed. The sounds of the lake not to far away terrified Miriam. Something about the noises it made made it sound like there was something out there, like some kind of creature or something.

The footpath seemed to wind on forever. It seemed much longer then Miriam remembered. Miriam knew she had only gone down this way once but there was no way it was this long! It seemed like she was walking twice the distance it should take to get to silent hill. Miriam looked down at her own feet watching herself walk. One foot at a time, Miriam just needed to watch herself take one step at a time, that was all. Miriam could feel herself in the throws of a second panic attack, thinking about the town and all the sound effects she could here around here. It seemed as though there were demons everywhere around here all moments away from ripping her to shreds. Miriam dared not look up, she could barely keep herself moving forward. It seemed as though the sounds wearing getting louder and more frequent with each step. Louder, and louder, it was almost as if they we're like the screams of the sacrificed children of the cult. The dust and dried leaves of the footpath seemed to never let up. Surely she should be to the church by now, surely.

Miriam held her breath and stood perfectly still. She could feel the panic attack coming on. She couldn't breath, it was like her though had closed up to the size of one of those tiny stirring straw. Miriam new she had to look up. She didn't know why but something told her that if she looked up…

Miriam slowly raised her head up, eyes closed, fearful of what she would see before her. Slowly she opened her eyes. What she saw was the town, the town of Silent Hill. She was right smack dab in the middle of Silent Hill. In the middle of the street no less!

"What the _fuck_?" How on god's earth did she get to the center of town? At no point did she ever see the dusty, mustard yellow dirt of the footpath become the cracked, dark gray of Silent Hill's abandoned roads. Miriam knew that her eyesight might not have been the best in the world but it wasn't bad enough that she couldn't tell the difference between pavement and dirt!

As Miriam sat there puzzling over her apparent teleportation from the footpath to the center of town she could feel a sensation, fear, seeping into her. She was _in_ the town, the heart of it. This was the town she had feared, the town that, when she was young, she was convinced would kill her. A town, this town, she had always felt had some kind of curse on it. It was like she could feel the evil from it crawl through her body to the very core of her soul.

Miriam couldn't move she was too afraid of the town and she couldn't breath from the panic attack anyway. She just looked around the spot she stood taking it all in. This was it. Silent Hill, the town she had fled as a child. The town that was home to, in her eyes, the most insidious cult to every exist. The building all looked like they had been abandoned for years. Each window was caked with dust and more then a few were cracked, some even shattered onto the pavement below. Strangely enough it seemed as though a few of the shops lights were still on and the all of the streetlights where still functional, al be it barely visible in the fog.  
The fog in the town was so thick too. It practically seemed to choke the town. It was as if the fog was hiding the town from the rest of the world hoping that no one would discover it's dirty little secrets.

As impossible as it was Miriam thought she saw someone in one of the stores. It looked as though someone was walking around in the barely lit Quiet Cocktails bar.

"Maybe it's James. No it has to be no one lives here any more." Miriam had calmed down a bit, the thought of James being nearby always made her feel better, although she never really knew why. Perhaps because he was the first friend she had made when she moved from Silent Hill.

Anyway, Miriam walked over to the bar and grabbed the door know to try to get in. "Locked. Great. How the hell did James get in there with the door locked like that?" Miriam thought. Better yet how was she going to get in?  
"Maybe there's a back door"


	3. Chapter 3

**Silent Hill Resurrected: Sub story**

**Miriam Kensington is a Traitor?**

**Chapter 3**

Dear Suzanne,

I'm writing you this letter today to ask you to come back to me. I know your never coming back but you're my sister. I miss you dearly. I wish you would return. I wish you could come back and see this new place mother, father and I now live in. I know how you used to hate Silent Hill. You used to tell me it was so frightening and maybe even dangerous. I used to laugh at you. I used to tease you about it because I thought it was funny. I'm not laughing anymore Suzy, not anymore. We moved out of Silent Hill because I became scared too. Mother and Father thought it would be best for me… after what I had seen there. You know about it of course.

Anyway we moved to a new town, Ashfield. It's a nice town. It's almost like a city. It even has its own subway! Mother took me through it today. It was a lot of fun. Everything is so dark except a few orange lights that would zoom past every so often. When you get to the end all the doors automatically open and you get out. You've never been on the subway have you? No. You used to always talk about how you wanted to go to a city one day. I wish you were here to see this. You would love it.

You used to be so enthralled by stories of the city. Do you remember how Grandfather used to take us to Quite Cocktails and tells us all the stories about it? The stories of women in red high heels and pencil skirts and men in suits in fedoras, those stories were always an adventure. We used to run around the dimly lit bar while Grandfather would chat up other old women. We would pretend to be those people. I would be the smooth man in a suit and a fedora and you would be the women in red heels. We would go on imaginary adventures through 1940's New York to the backdrop of the Jazz played in the club. We would imagine… we would imagine we would first meet on the subway, always on the subway. Something about the subway was mysterious to us and interesting. You still remember that right little sister? I do.

I guess I'll be starting in a new Junior High School next week. I'm a little worried that no one will like me. I'm always worried about that. You never had to though did you? You were always the pretty one with the blonde hair everyone loved. Ha, me I was always that ginger kid. I used to get called that a lot in school. It was always ginger this, ginger that, you suck ginger kid! You used to come over and tell them to leave me alone all the time. They would for a little while, at least while you were still around. That's because everyone loved you. _Everyone loved you._ I don't know how I'm going to start in a new school alone this year without you. Who will come help me when I'm being picked on? Please come back Suzy, Please?

Your Loving Sister,

Miriam Kensington


	4. Chapter 4

**Silent Hill Resurrected: Sub story**

**Miriam Kensington is a Traitor?**

**Chapter 4**

Miriam ran around Quiet Cocktails to the back of the restaurant. The Ally way between the restaurant and the store next to it was very small. Miriam could barely fit. She could feel her skin scrapping against the ugly weathered bricks of the buildings as she went.

"Damn it, I knew I needed to lose weight. No, I could never be bothered. Great going me!" Miriam said her face taking on a slightly sarcastic look.

When Miriam finally reached the back of Quiet Cocktails she sighed a bit. The feeling of her own breath leaving her body and dissipating in a fog into the cold air of Silent Hill was almost soothing. Still a feeling of fear was ever present, looming over Miriam. Miriam looked for the door in the back of Quiet Cocktails. The back of the place was so, ugly. It was a dark grey slightly cracked. A forest green dumpster sat in one corner near the back door filled to the brim with what must be food from God knows how long ago. The back door itself was covered over with a strange sheet.

Miriam walked up to the sheet examining it. It looked like it had been sitting outside covering this door for a dog's age. It was so weathered and almost more light grey then white. It also looked…bloody. Miriam was sure that there was no way that was so. It was much more likely that the door beneath the cloth was metal and had rusted.

Still Miriam couldn't shake the feeling that it was blood. Like it was some kind of message for her from the town it self. Almost like it was saying "I remember you." Miriam shook her head a bit thinking about it.

"No, that's…That's insane." She whispered into the air.

Miriam turned the door handle slowly. It was cold and dirty. Rusted stainless steel or something like that. Nothing happened.

"Shit, its locked. Figures."

Miriam Sighed loudly at that as she began walking away. "James must be in there. How did he get in?" Still no sooner had she thought it then the door opened. Miriam herd it creak just slightly on its rusted hinges as it did. Miriam turned to see it. Inside the door was just blackness. Like a hole into hell itself. She hesitated to enter. Places that look that dark in Silent Hill usually are that dark. Miriam knew by experience though she couldn't quit recall the incident off hand.

Miriam hesitated, the feeling of almost wanting to cry burning in her throat. She felt like, no she knew, that this wasn't going to be good. The last thing she needed was something else to talk about in therapy. God, they weren't even done dealing with her last issues. Still Miriam knew she had to go in. She…she had to help her friend. He _needed _her.

Miriam slowly walked in through the door. The moment she entered she could hear the door slam loudly shut.

"No!" Miriam half shouted in surprise.

The darkness of the room surrounded her almost completely almost as if it was its own entity. Like the darkness was more then just a lack of light, like it was some kind of living being attacking her. Miriam could feel her heart pounding then a felling almost like her heart dropped out of her chest onto the floor. Miriam turned ghost white. She turned to her right. There was a small but bright light that flicked on. She watched as a strange shadow ran across in front of it.

"Who's there?" Miriam shouted unsure of herself. She thought she heard a small giggle in return but she wasn't quite sure. Miriam walked toward the light. She could feel the linoleum floor, dusty and with small bits of rock on it, cracking beneath her cheap shoes. The sound of her walk was so loud it was almost disturbing. She stopped before the light reaching out to touch it. It wasn't very hot; it felt like it was being cover by plastic. Small and round it dawned on Miriam what it was _a flashlight._

Miriam sighed relieved it was something worse. She grabbed the flashlight it was cold, but probably plastic, shaped like some kind of animal and hanging from some kind of metal chain. The flashlight was very tiny yet very bright. Miriam used it to find the light switch for the room. When she found the light switch she flicked it on as fast as she could. It made a loud plastic-e click as the switch turned to on. The lights slowly buzzed to life filling the room with a clinical cold light.

It was pretty much just a normal kitchen. Cold, dark grey stainless steel counters, islands, fridges and so on, nothing to remarkable. Miriam looked down at the flashlight she was holding. It was on a small silver chain like a pendent. The body of the flashlight was shaped like a small white Dove the light coming out of its mouth. On its back was a small black switch. Miriam put her thumb on it quickly switching it off. Miriam grabbed the chain, which was fairly long, and lifted it over her head so she could wear the necklace.

"Suzanne would have loved this. She always loved doves." Miriam said thinking about her sister sadly. Thought of her sister always made Miriam sad. Of course this was because she had died in a fire in the shed they both were playing in grandpa's yard. "Why couldn't he save us both?" Miriam thought to herself.

The sound of footsteps just outside of the kitchen door startled Miriam away from her thoughts. Miriam quietly navigated around the kitchen to the swinging door that leads into the restaurant. She peered out one of the two doors circular windows careful not to open the door in anyway. Strangely one of the windows of the doors was cracked from the one frame edge all the way to the other edge glass included. Yet the door itself looked like it had never suffered enough traumas for the glass to have cracked at all.

Miriam continued to peer out the door look, hoping to see James. Instead she saw a strange man. He was fairly tall with short brown hair. He seemed to be wearing a blue sweater and jeans. He looked like a pretty strong guy in Miriam's opinion, though Miriam was such a weakling it didn't take much to meet her definition of strong.

"Who is this man?" Miriam thought to herself. "Well I guess I could always just ask him if he's seen James or Mary around. It couldn't hurt to ask. I mean I'm sure he'll talk to me I'm the only other person in town practically. What's the worse that could happen?" Miriam went on like that thinking to herself trying to reassure herself in order to work up the courage to speak to this stranger. When she finally felt she was able to do it Miriam slowly opened the door hoping not to be noticed. It worked the stranger seemed to ignore the slight creaking of the rusty door.

"Hello?" Miriam said in a wavering and cracking voice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Silent Hill Resurrected: Sub story**

**Miriam Kensington is a Traitor?**

**Chapter 5**

The strange man turned around slowly. When his eye's meet Miriam's she was almost startled by them. They were deep green, very sad looking eyes just like James'.

"Yes?" The man questioned Miriam in a tone that sounded a bit rushed but not harsh.

"I'm looking for a man. He's got short blonde hair, about this tall," Miram then stood on her tiptoes trying to indicate the height of James correctly. "His name's James'."

"No, I wish. If I could find his dumb ass I could drag him back to his house and Mary would be happy. I called the apartment they live in and the jack ass left a recording that he'd be in Silent Hill looking for their "special place" and babbling about some letter." The man sounded clearly miffed about having to come out here to look for James.

Strangely this man seemed to know James and Mary but James never mentioned him. James practically had no friends aside from Miriam. He almost entirely relied on Mary for companionship. In Miriam's opinion, not that anyone on this earth ever cared; it was why James was always so lonely.

"You know James?" Miriam said trying not to sound shocked that someone other then she knew James.

"No, well, somewhat, I know his wife." The man replied back to Miriam's question "I'm only looking for him because of her. Thank God she's not home yet and still in that hospital."

"No, She came home today. I think James brought her here or something. I checked their apartment and she…" Miriam stopped. She could tell by the guys face that he was very unhappy to hear this. God, why did Miriam always have to open her mouth. If she could just keep her mouth shut everything would be better for everyone but she never could.

"That fucking bastard! If I see him I WILL kick his ass. How the hell could he even THINK of bring Mary out her in her state!"

"Well," Miriam began hesitant to say anything further but feeling what she would say might help redeem James. "She always wanted to return to Silent Hill. Maybe it's a final wish thing."

"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard. You only do that shit when someone's healthy enough to do it. That fucking guy is an idiot. I really aught a fucking kill that dumb ass." The man said slamming his hand onto the dirty table near him. 'Shit' Miriam thought to herself 'I did it again. Everything is just better when I don't talk.' The man continued. "If you know where that bastard is I'd like to know to."

"I don't…" Miriam just trailed off a bit after this.

"Look what's your name?" The man asked.

Miriam was unsure what to tell him. If she told him her name would this make him angrier? "I'm…Miriam." She almost whispered.

"Look Miriam I didn't mean to scare you. I just…that guy makes me so…angry. I'm David by the way. I think I've heard of you. James' friend from work right? Mary talks about you sometimes. Apparently James talks about you a lot to Mary."

"Uh… Well..yes… I mean we knew each other in Junior High but…yeah. I geuss that's me." Miriam hesitated. David? Who the hell is that? How did he know about her? How did he know Mary? Miriam watched as the guy slumped into the chair next to the table he was at. He looked up at her.

"Well…there not here. Damn it." David looked down at the dusty wooden floor boards. It seemed like he was ignoring Miriam.

"How did you and Mary meet?" Miriam had a feeling she shouldn't ask this but yet how could she not.

"In a coffee shop."

"So you're friends then. 'cause I didn't know Mary had any friends. James never told me about you. Which is funny 'cause normally he would."

"I…Yes you could say were friends. James…he doesn't like me. I get why though. The guys and ass though. Mary really deserves better. You probably deserve a better friend too I bet."

"James' is a wonderful man, one of the few I've met, a real gentleman unlike you!" Miriam responded in anger. Miriam always had this strange desire to defend James.

"Yeah, I bet he is." David trailed off but Miriam had this feeling he meant something he wasn't willing to share. It seemed as though Mary was a bit more then just a 'friend' to this man though what her relationship was with him Miriam did not know.

'That bitch, I wouldn't be surprised if he was fucking her.' Miriam thought. To tell truth Miriam never really liked Mary. Something about her just seemed…off. Miriam stood there a moment unsure of what to do. She thought about leaving but she felt like there was something more in this place she needed to do.

Miriam slowly swerved around all the tables in Quiet Cocktails until she came to the small stage in the back; she stood there staring at it a bit. It was small, just large enough to accommodate a Jazz band like the ones Miriam remembered playing there. It seemed so much smaller then she remembered. The stage floor was a dark grey and incredibly dusty. There was a curtain still hanging in the back, deep blood red colored. Miriam looked at the stage a while. In the corner of the upper stage left a small stuffed animal, a dove. Miriam climbed up onto the stage struggling as she did.

"What are you doing?" David called from his chair. "I don't think that James is back there. In case you're wondering."

David seemed to act like he thought Miriam was a complete idiot. Miriam grunted a bit in frustration.

"I know." Miriam responded in hasty anger. Now Miriam knew why Mary was friends with him. They were both… annoying.

Miriam walked over to the stuffed dove. She picked it up and held it in her arms hugging it. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to do this she just did. The stuffed dove was covered in a soft fur it was really comfortable to hold. At of the corner of her eye Miriam thought she saw a small girl with blond hair run behind the stage. Miriam dropped the dove, listening as it fell almost soundlessly to the floor, and followed after the almost inaudible foot steps.

The back of the stage was almost kind of creepy; looking like it had seen a fire not to long ago. A good portion of the black paint seemed to have burned off. All of the furniture in the back was a charred black like someone set them on fire and pulled them out just before they burned to dust. Miriam began to get this sense that this…'look' was something she had seen before, something she never wanted to see again. Miriam continued forward heart pounding in her chest as her cheap shoes kicked up dust from the floor.

When she reached the small back stages exit door she reached out and slowly grabbed the handle turning almost fearing what she might find. As the door slowly opened she could see the form of a small girl on the other side. At first she couldn't make out who this girl was. She had long blonde hair and a pretty smile. The little girl wore white stockings and a light blue dress that swayed a bit in the breeze. The little girl seemed to sway back and forth a bit waiting for something, black Mary Jane shoes clicking as she did. When the door opened all the way the girl suddenly stopped smiling and moving and stared straight forward. Her blue eyes glaring into Miriam as her lip pursed in anger. It took Miriam more then a moment to realize who this angry little girl was.

'Suzanne' Miriam shouted in her head half in shock.


End file.
